I've had th opportunity to test the new SIC FX14 the last couple days.
The board looks great and comes with the usual great SIC quality.
The board is only 25' wide and that had me alittle concerned as I normally would not go narrower than 26' for ocean paddeling
Yesterday the weather forecast was absolutely perfect for my home-downwind run , wich is roughly 23 km.
It rained a lot during the first few K's and as the rain stoppede the wind also dropped, so not really downwinding for the remaining 20 K
but here are my first few impression, compared to my own 14' bullet v2
- not tippy at all- I am yet to fall on the board ( I'm surprised by that )
- glides in to bumps very well paddeling at a steady pace whereas the bullet picks them up almost by it self
- its a little harder to seer while on a bump than the bullet
- cuts through chop effortlessly where the bullet has a tendency to boaunce on top
- feels a lot faster in the flats
- not sure how it handles bigger bumps

Disclaimer: I love SIC :_)

That's great, thanks for sharing.

How does it go upwind? I do a lot of upwind/downwind paddling so I'm particularly interested to find a board that is good at both.

In the photo, are those dots towards the front of the deckpad fittings for a race handle or something else?

How much less stable is it relative to the Bullet V2, would you say? If the Bullet V2 were stability 10/10, and where 0/10 would be a board you could hardly stand on even in flat water, what number would you give the FX?

Thanks for the information.

I wanted to take a few more pictures to try and figure out why the board is so stabile.. I think I found out why ;-)
The catloge lists it a 14x 25 volume 290


Regarding going up wind, its definitely better than the V2, it pierces through the waves much better than the v2 that has a tendency to bash on top of the waves.
I would rate the stability high - probably 8/10 -
I will give the board few more paddles and report back

UPDATE:
Apparently this is a preorder sample(???) and the next shipment of boards will be 14x25 , 290 l, I wasn't aware of that when posting. Sorry about the confusion...

Shame. 26" wide and 266L sounds better to me.

I guess we'll have to wait a bit before someone gets hold of a standard production model and reports on here.

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SurfNiels said..
UPDATE:
Apparently this is a preorder sample(???) and the next shipment of boards will be 14x25 , 290 l, I wasn't aware of that when posting. Sorry about the confusion...

Great 14x26, 266 would have been just about perfect and very, very difficult to resist.
My credit line is taking a breather and my wife can stop sharpening knives.

LucBenac I'm sure you can get hold of a 14x26 version if you put in a little effort ...
Actually I think the danish dealer has 2 or 3 14x26 boards :-)

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SurfNiels said..
LucBenac I'm sure you can get hold of a 14x26 version if you put in a little effort ...
Actually I think the danish dealer has 2 or 3 14x26 boards :-)

Thank you but my bank account is missing the essentials :-) for now...

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SurfNiels said...
LucBenac I'm sure you can get hold of a 14x26 version if you put in a little effort ...
Actually I think the danish dealer has 2 or 3 14x26 boards :-)

Hmm, I might have to PM you to get details of that. But first, I wonder if you'd be kind enough to run a tape measure over the board to check if it is indeed 26" wide. It seems to me more likely that it is the numbers on the board that are wrong than that you have a completely different shape from the production model under your feet. After all, Starboard quite regularly produce boards that have width dimensions written on them that bear only a passing resemblance to reality, and these boards are no doubt made in the same factory.

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Area10 said...

SurfNiels said...
LucBenac I'm sure you can get hold of a 14x26 version if you put in a little effort ...
Actually I think the danish dealer has 2 or 3 14x26 boards :-)

Hmm, I might have to PM you to get details of that. But first, I wonder if you'd be kind enough to run a tape measure over the board to check if it is indeed 26" wide. It seems to me more likely that it is the numbers on the board that are wrong than that you have a completely different shape from the production model under your feet. After all, Starboard quite regularly produce boards that have width dimensions written on them that bear only a passing resemblance to reality, and these boards are no doubt made in the same factory.

Every post with a Starboard slag?

I already measured it yesterday , its in fact 66 cm = 26 inches

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WINDSURFnSNOW said...

Area10 said...

SurfNiels said...
LucBenac I'm sure you can get hold of a 14x26 version if you put in a little effort ...
Actually I think the danish dealer has 2 or 3 14x26 boards :-)

Hmm, I might have to PM you to get details of that. But first, I wonder if you'd be kind enough to run a tape measure over the board to check if it is indeed 26" wide. It seems to me more likely that it is the numbers on the board that are wrong than that you have a completely different shape from the production model under your feet. After all, Starboard quite regularly produce boards that have width dimensions written on them that bear only a passing resemblance to reality, and these boards are no doubt made in the same factory.

Every post with a Starboard slag?

I own two Starboard boards so I'm hardly a Starboard-hater. But I'm not blind to their faults either. And two of these IMO are the tendency for them to give inaccurate dimensions for their boards, and to present their distance boards (and sometimes other gear) mostly in pretty cheap-looking graphics and finishes. I'm not alone in this view. So Starboard can either get used to people making these criticisms, or can address them. If I keep quiet then I am denying them the opportunity to make changes that would benefit them, and that would not be fair of me. So I am actually doing them a favour by making these points :)

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SurfNiels said...
I already measured it yesterday , its in fact 66 cm = 26 inches

Lucky you. I want one of these extra-stable FXs too.

just one small trip to Denmark @area10

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SurfNiels said..
just one small trip to Denmark @area10

If he can get off the computer.

Have had the chance to Demo the FX14Pro over the last couple of days, and can confirm what SurfNiels reports in terms of performance etc.
Upon reading his report more closely I'm interested in the 25" / 26" width question.
The demo here is also 26", so I'm wondering if we get a (nice or not so nice) surprise when the real board turns up and it's 25".

SurfNiels / anyone else, can you advise whether the stock boards are being supplied at 25" or 26"?

I'm not sure it's a huge issue, as the 26" demo board is very stable, but it would be nice to know which board is actually coming!!

No shoes in wintertime Denmark ???? WOW

@ Helmy I haven't heard of anyone who has the 25' wide version

@Flowmaster , my post was from back in november. Now we are all rubbered up, 6 mm shoes for me, lots of snow at the moment. But the forecast for sunday looks promising for a downwinder

32-35c in melbourne today and tomorrow surfneils...no rubber required...

Helmy going the non SIC flatwater option today

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Helmy said..
Have had the chance to Demo the FX14Pro over the last couple of days, and can confirm what SurfNiels reports in terms of performance etc.
Upon reading his report more closely I'm interested in the 25" / 26" width question.
The demo here is also 26", so I'm wondering if we get a (nice or not so nice) surprise when the real board turns up and it's 25".

SurfNiels / anyone else, can you advise whether the stock boards are being supplied at 25" or 26"?

I'm not sure it's a huge issue, as the 26" demo board is very stable, but it would be nice to know which board is actually coming!!

Hey Helmy,

How do you reckon it would go DW on the Bay in <25kt conditions compared to say a Bullet?

How does the FX compare to the Bullet V2 on nose and tail rocker? Any noticeable changes in the rocker distribution? Not having the chance to see the FX and V2 side by side...what separates the FX design from the V2. Can you get into the weeds and dissect this thing a bit (thickness/volume distribution/rail tuck/ hardness of the edge/nose shape/deck shape/tail width and shape etc) What makes the FX the FX? Appreciate any concrete details.

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rghdc said..
How does the FX compare to the Bullet V2 on nose and tail rocker? Any noticeable changes in the rocker distribution? Not having the chance to see the FX and V2 side by side...what separates the FX design from the V2. Can you get into the weeds and dissect this thing a bit (thickness/volume distribution/rail tuck/ hardness of the edge/nose shape/deck shape/tail width and shape etc) What makes the FX the FX? Appreciate any concrete details.

I wondered the same thing, and asked DJ if he would take some footage of the FX, which he duly did in one of his vids. I think that's the best source of info at the moment. Maybe DJ could re-post the video? That shows the outline and rails well.

The FX and Bullet V2 are completely different. The V2 Bullet is a downwind board that is ideal in particular for smaller or lighter wind DW conditions. It is 2.25" wider than the FX and a completely different shape. The FX is a hybrid raceboard, aimed at fairly serious racers who want one board to be able to work in a variety of conditions, from flat water lakes to downwind in seas, and everything in between. There isn't really much that they share in common apart from both being 14ft and designed by the same guy.

The FX will be quite bit faster in flat water, more technical downwind, and more tippy all round. The V2 is a user-friendly board that could double up as a sea tourer or for general pootling around in the ocean, and like all downwind boards, it not particular fast in flat water. I've never tried an FX, but I imagine that it is too tippy in chop to be used as a recreational or long-distance tourer, except by the very skilled.

I've tried the 14 FX at SIC's European Meeting. I own a Bullet 14 v2 (2016 graphics) and a 12'6 X-Pro (2015 graphics). I've already tried all SIC race and downwind board, except the 12'6 FX and the F-14 and F-12. Like Area 10 commented the Bullet V2 is a board intended for downwind (light to medium) or recreational. It's a great downwind racing board but it's not a flatwater race board. It's an hybrid between the X-Pro and the Bullet.

It has more tail rocker than the X-Pro, an wider tail, a flatter deck, and more volume on the rails. I went for a long paddle with some of the guys from SIC in Sardinia and we encountered different conditions (upwind, sidewind, flatter sections and light downwind). The board was super stable and responsive and I felt like I had and advantage over the other guys (we were all riding different boards). When we got to the side wind part it smoked the other guys (except for a guy on 14 X-Prolite but he was a top paddler). Coming back on the light downwind the board was great, catching bumps and maintaining stability.
My team rider also timed the FX against the X-Prolite in flatwater and the X-Prolite was faster but the difference wasn't too much (I don+t recall the speed he got on both boards).

I see the FX as a board for someone that wants a board to race in every condition (flatwater, beach reace, ocean race, etc) or for someone that wants to add another raceboard to his quiver that already has a flatwter board or downwind board and is looking for an alternative.

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crustacean said..

Helmy said..
Have had the chance to Demo the FX14Pro over the last couple of days, and can confirm what SurfNiels reports in terms of performance etc.
Upon reading his report more closely I'm interested in the 25" / 26" width question.
The demo here is also 26", so I'm wondering if we get a (nice or not so nice) surprise when the real board turns up and it's 25".

SurfNiels / anyone else, can you advise whether the stock boards are being supplied at 25" or 26"?

I'm not sure it's a huge issue, as the 26" demo board is very stable, but it would be nice to know which board is actually coming!!

Hey Helmy,

How do you reckon it would go DW on the Bay in <25kt conditions compared to say a Bullet?

crustacean,
refer to my separated-at-birth-brother Area10 (since annointed as "two nutters") for his comments.
He's answered your question succinctly

14 V2 rocker - not a good shot but best I have


FX Pro rocker from Helmy

I like the tail rocker on the FX... I wonder what the production boards will be in width and volume, given that it s supposed to be 25" and 290 litres.. Yet the early samples are 26" and 266l....
(edit to add that I didn't see Helmys post above asking the same question... )

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SUPerD said..
I like the tail rocker on the FX... I wonder what the production boards will be in width and volume, given that it s supposed to be 25" and 290 litres.. Yet the early samples are 26" and 266l....
(edit to add that I didn't see Helmys post above asking the same question... )

SUPerD,
The additional tail rocker & width makes it easy to kick turn (not one of my strong points), and is a good feature given the low rocker and freeboard up front.
The flat deck with full width deckpad makes it easy to move around the board, which is also necessary given the bow shape.
Maybe Mark Raaphorst knows what he's doing...just puttin' it out there...!!!

To All: Thanks for this thread, the pics and your valued opinions. I have sold my X 14 Pro a couple of months and plan to buy an FX 14. The production boards will not make not to the US for another month or two. Yesterday, I thought I had found a display board from the Outdoor Expo, which I I agreed to buy. Had a slight paint chip on the nose and they discounted it $400 (US). It has never been paddled. I was really excited to be getting it sooner and at a discount. As they were boxing it to ship, they noticed that it was a 14 x 26 266 liters, like Niels. So I had to reevaluate. There was some confusion when the dealer purchased the board from the Expo and they did not know if was a 26. They came back and offered me an additional $100 off, plus free delivery worth about $100. So the 26 board is now at a $600 discount from retail. A smoking deal, but here's the thing. Flatwater speed and glide is important to me and, theoretically, the 25 (290 liters) should be a bit faster (with some assumptions in place). Logic tells me that the final production board (25) should be the better board design. So, do I wait and take the better designed 25, or go the cheaper route and take the 26 and get it sooner? I am wondering if anyone has possibly compared a 25 to a 26? Appreciate any thoughts on helping me solve this dilemma. FYI, I am about 200 lbs.

Souselas, thanks for the great review. Do you know if the board you tested was a 25 or a 26?

Just to be clear, as I have seen this question a couple of times in the thread, the production board will be 25 inches wide and 290 liters of volume.

I vote for the production. 266 litres is probably too little volume for your 200 lbs. You'd be displacing a lot more water.. I noticed that who ever was paddling the same preproduction board in DJ's video a few weeks ago seemed to sink it a lot.. it was dragging a lot of water along its rails..

If you jump at the "great deal" youre only going to end up second guessing yourself.. My two "sense" worth..